Oyster Ticket Shops Cred/Debit card fee

dzug1

fiddyp wrote: »

Yes, TfL is a government body, not out to make profits per-se but to provide a public service. I hope your brain can take this on board.

Yep I can take that on board quite easily.

It doesn't give it/its suppliers, resellers, etc, an obligation or even a freedom to ignore costs. That isn't what public service means. It is still restrained by reality

fiddyp

dzug1 wrote: »

You may not have noticed but that ethos has started to disappear and it is government policy and/or a side effect of its policies that that that disappearance shall accelerate.

No, the level of service is deteriorating, the ethos is not. That's because by definition a public service like the NHS means everyone has equal access to the same [arguably crap] service.

fiddyp

dzug1 wrote: »

Yep I can take that on board quite easily.

It doesn't give it/its suppliers, resellers, etc, an obligation or even a freedom to ignore costs. That isn't what public service means. It is still restrained by reality

Again, missing the point. The problem isn't that TfL works with privately-owned retailers to provide Oyster topups. The problem is that TfL doesn't prevent them from adding extra costs on top for customers who go to these retailers. As a public service, everyone should have equal ACCESS to the service. The arguments you're trying to make would most certainly apply to something like airline companies or coach companies, which are privately run for-profit organisations. Your arguments do not apply to publicly owned/run transport services or the NHS.

wealdroam

fiddyp wrote: »

As a public service, everyone should have equal ACCESS to the service.

Everyone does have equal access to the service.
Everyone can go to a shop if they so choose.
Everyone can buy from a station if they so choose.
Everyone can pay by card if they so choose.
Everyone can pay cash if they so choose.

No-one is forced to pay extra.

Still. that's all I'll say, except...


Don't feed the troll.

giraffe69

The point is, the service should be equally accessible for all

Better get those pensioners, children and other spongers paying the same amount as us then.

1. Not everyone lives close to a station.
2. Not everyone lives near an ATM (or at least one that doesn't also charge).
3. Not everyone wishes to have Oyster automatically help itself to their bank accounts, as it is more difficult to keep track of spending this way.

So we need someone who lives a long way from a station, nowhere near a cash machine which doesn't charge, has a pathological fear of direct payments from their bank account(BTW it can be attached to a credit card instead) and earns less than £5 an hour after deducting such income tax and NI as would be paid at this level.
Know ye of such a person in the London area or is it a quiet bank holiday?

dzug1

fiddyp wrote: »

No, the level of service is deteriorating, the ethos is not. That's because by definition a public service like the NHS means everyone has equal access to the same [arguably crap] service.

Your definition not mine

And the ethos is headed in the direction of local decision making on what services are provided and who has access to them - which will certainly not be 'equal'

And I like feeding trolls - it can be amusing.

dreavi

Best get used to it, London Underground is cutting back at all but the busiest ticket offices so soon ticket stops will be one of the few ways you can top up.

the Oyster card system is already privately run, all the ticket machines and gates are maintained by a private company. Give it five years a 50p surcharge will be the least of your worries.

Saturnalia

fiddyp wrote: »

Yes this would effectively halve the 50p levy for credit/debit card users. Still, it is an uncessary charge when Oyster can be topped up in various other ways without incurring any charges. People seem to think that this is the same as airline companies charging booking fees, but these are private companies out to make profits, not publicly owned services providing a vital service to the community. The point is, the service should be equally accessible for all, as is the ethos with other public services such as education and healthcare.

No it doesn't halve the fee, it removes it entirely.

If the shop lets you pay for transactions over £10 without incurring the fee, buy £10 of credit at a time (which you will need to do half as often obviously) and you save the 50p.

Say you top up £5 5 days a week and get charged each time, £5.50 x 10 makes £55 per fortnight.

Top up £10 x 5 during that fortnight, and not paying the debit card fee = £50 altogether.